Thursday, June 9, 2011

Some Hand Embroidery of My Own

So here is the last, pouch #9, in my first group of pouches showing off a design of my own and some of my own stitchery. It definitely does not have the delicate, intricate quality of the previous pouch, but it does have a certain, burly-curly quality of it's own.  The pouch itself was made from a couple of patchwork squares made by a good friend of mine. The red embroider is my work, and the cute little plastic button in the center of the flower is a vintage plastic button that seemed just right for the job.

It hangs on a large tomato cage out in the garden, surrounded by cilantro plants gone to flower, and nasturtiums in the background.  It looked quite lovely out in that setting and I almost wanted to leave it out there as garden art.  So that's the last of that batch and I will start another in the future, but for now, the next project on the agenda is a custom, rennaissance-style wedding dress I will be sewing for a young friend.  I will only be posting close ups so that I will not spoil the big reveal for the wedding day, but hopefully I'll show enough to keep it fun and interesting...   and I ask you, how can anyone say they are bored when the next exciting project is always waiting around the corner?

Poetically yours,
Pamela

Monday, June 6, 2011

Appreciating Exquisite Stitchery


...Say that three times fast!
This little pouch showcases a vintage embroidered flower.  The stitches are tiny and so perfect. I can't help thinking about the person who had the patience and talent to handstitch this precious little flower. This was a person who cared about the details and the quality of her/his work; a person who took the time to do it well, do it right. I admire that.

Let me just sound off a bit about something here; a pet peeve of mine... These days it's become common place to ridicule people who do things right, who care about the details and the quality of their work. If someone shows these qualities they are often labeled "Obsessive" and even "Anal". 

What the Heck!  To me it seems like an excuse to be lazy, not care, to do less than your best!  I'm not saying that everything should be a masterpiece... or that every endeavor needs to be perfect.  What I am saying is, we should be looking up to those who care enough to do their very best.  And that doing your best is something to aspire to.  Otherwise, what's the point?

Poetically yours,
Pamela

Pouch #7

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Under the Sea


Pouch #7 - Here's a colorful octopus just hangin' around in the seaweed with his little fishy friend. The image is embellished with seed beads, black buttons for the eyes and some puff paint outlines to create a little depth. The pouch is made from snippets of leftover fabric and a recycled zipper.  The strap is braided strips of t-shirt fabric.

We're almost to the end of this first batch of pouches and I've got a bunch of new ideas for the next set.  In the meantime, the fitting has been done for the wedding dress and the fabric has been cut out.  More to come on that very soon.  For now I'll leave you with a little rhyme...

There was some used clothing and fabric
That might have been trash in a basket,
But I cut and I sewed, designed and embellished,
And voila! it's a new pouch fantastic!

Poetically yours,
Pamela

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Officially Vintage - What!!!


So, get this... I embroidered this Iris design about 30-odd years ago.  Are you understanding this??? This little bit of hand sewing is considered
 "Vintage".  How can that possibly be?  This is the same emotion and mental confusion I feel when I realize that my child, my little boy, is now a man of 23 years!!!  Could it be?  Apparently it is.  And yet, I am still the same!  It just does not compute.

Well, I am a bit tongue in cheek here because actually, I know I am not the same, nothing stays the same. Like my little iris, I have weathered a bit, faded a bit (at least on the outside) and I have changed a lot.  Mostly for the better. I'm wiser, braver, more accepting of myself and others, calmer, more accomplished.

 If you choose to learn from life as you go along, you can only get better.  So, Thank you Life, for mellowing me to the lovely condition of "Vintage".   
I know it's cliche, but I'll say it anyway...
Like a bottle of fine wine - better with age.
 (Pouch #6)

Poetically your,
Pamela

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Stealth in the Jungle


Are you a "Jungle Kitty?"... silently finding your way through the tangled vegetation?  Are you aware of your own strength and power?  ... all the talents and gifts you were born with?  Sometimes it's good to move along quietly, observing what is around you, gathering up an awareness of your own vital presence and place within the "jungle".     (Pouch #5)

Poetically yours,
Pamela

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Cowboy on his Trusted Horse

Howdy Pardners, 
     Here's my little cowboy Art Pouch #4. You can't really tell from the photo (I will improve my photo skills as time goes by, I promise), but there are little embroidery embellishments. Specifically, french knots... I absolutely adore french knots for some reason?!  (Almost as much as I like french toast!)  Also, there's a little horse charm I found on the ground (for reals), some faux leather, some indian print canvas, and of course I upcycled a zipper for the closure.
      My cowboy is ramblin' through the desert, and when he's out there takin' in all the desert scenery, his mind starts ta wanderin'  (an occupational hazard for them cowboys).  One time he saw this cactus that stood there lookin' like a man with two arms.  Bein' he'd been out there for a few days all by his lonesome under that blazin' desert sun, he started to imagine this cactus was a "Cactus Man".  You know, he was imaginin' himself a little company. (Between you and me, I suspect he was a little de-hydrated!) And the next thing ya know, he found himself singin' this song all about his new-found friend.  It went somethin' like this:
(PS Of course you gotta imagine it sung with a little country twang to get the full effect.)

Cactus Man, Cactus Man, livin' in the side of a hill of sand,
Gee I'd like to shake your hand, but if I don't you'll understand.

Cactus Man, Cactus Man, perfectly adapted to the land,
Storin' up water in your feet and your hands. Glad I met you, yes I am.

Git Along Little Doggies!
Poetically yours, Pamela

"Cactus Man", by Pamela M Becraft
Copyright 2011, all rights reserved.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Nasturtiums-Gone-Wild!

Here's one of the several Nasturtium vines in my garden that are busy trying to take over the world.  This one has grown out of one of my compost/planting bins, has taken over the boysenberry vines on the fence, the paths, part of the adjoining beds, and is attempting to annex the aluminum ladders in our storage area. (Whatever can a flower do with a couple of ladders, I do not know!)

The good thing is, it is beautiful to look at, and yummy to eat.  If you have an enthusiastic Nasturtium in your garden, here's a fun tip for the many luscious, juicy seeds that form.  Next time you empty a jar of pickles, save the jar of juice in the fridge. Pick a bunch of Nasturtium seeds when they are nice and juicy (not too big), and blanch them in some salted water. Then put them into the pickle juice and let them soak for about a week (in the fridge of course). Voila!  Now you have a delicious substitute for capers, only better because they are crunchier and have a wonderful little peppery kick to them.  Enjoy.

Poetically yours,  Pamela

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Pouch #3

Here's the next finished pouch.  I got delayed in finishing it because I was trying to do something clever with the pull on the zipper.  Well, I made up a couple of vinyl-enclosed pull tags, with a little blip about sharks having to keep moving in the water... the idea was cool, but the tags were too large and tended to take away from the overall design... so I had to go to a simpler approach.  I used a belt loop upcycled from some jeans.
     This brings me to a lesson I have learned while working along on these pouches, and that is:  If something is not working, try something new and keep trying until it FEELS right. Always choose what feels right for the solution. This might mean some frustration and wasted effort... or so it would seem.  But, no effort is truly wasted.  Moving forward until you find your solution strengthens your design muscles.
     Put aside the unused solutions... they may be just the thing for a future project... and the lessons you learned in creating those unused solutions just add more ideas and experience that you will be able to call on in the future.
     So here's the question:   Do we choose to...  Sink or Swim???
     I say Swim is always the choice!

     Poetically yours,   Pamela

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

In the meantime, Let's Eat!

Waiting game...
     The wedding dress is on hold now until the young bride-to-be can travel here for her fitting, and fabric shopping.  I continue work on the Art Pouches, and more finished ones will appear soon, but in the meantime, we must eat. 
     Thanks to abundant rain and cool weather this winter, I had a nice volunteer crop of romaine lettuce in my little organic garden. There are also a few fat carrots, and nasturtiums of every color are trying to take over the world!  I had to put the nasturtiums in their place, so I went out there and did a little harvesting and made a beautiful salad for my family last night. 
     Thank you, Mother Nature.  It was delicious!

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Phase 2 complete

Now we wait...
     The pre-dress is sewn. The future bride has been notified. Now I wait for the date when she can visit for the fitting. ( Did I mention she lives in Washington State, and I live in CA?)  We do not back down from a challenge, us women folk.  We find a way to make it work, if it's important to us.
     So, while the wedding dress is on the back burner, move on to taxes (Yes, I know it's late!).  Did I tell you how much I dread taxes?  Well, like I said, we do not back down from a challenge; and it's important to me to Not be bugged by the IRS, so better get to it.
     Poetically yours,   Pamela

Monday, April 4, 2011

Wedding Dress, Still in Phase 1...

So, or should I say "sew", because that is what I have to do.  The pieces have all been cut out for the fitting dress, and now I am in the process of sewing it all together. I'm using a long stitch with a contrasting thread so my poor, nearsighted eyes can see it easily during this phase.
    This is going to be a lovely, delicate, flowing design... and I just found out the future blushing bride skated in her first women's roller derby! Oh the paradoxes (paradoxi?) of life. At least she was wearing pretty black lace tights along with her knee pads and helmet.
     Poetically yours, Pamela

Pouch #2!

On a roll now!  Finished this little nature scene pouch with a bit of applique, embroidery, and the perfect little flower and leaf beads for the strap. I utilized t-shirt fabric for the braided strap, the good corner of a decorative bed sheet for the image, and an upcycled zipper. It was a nice effect to go outside the "frame" of the image and overlap with the appliqued flowers and cattails. Now that I have worked through the challenges of the basic structure of the pouch design, the whole process has become much easier, and more fun!
    The next design will have a different look... stay tuned.   And for goodness sake, in the spirit of not throwing the "baby out with the bath water", do NOT throw the zipper out with the worn out pants! Get out your scissors and save that perfectly good piece of modern apparel technology for some new and wonderful use!
     Poetically yours, Pamela

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Wedding Dress - The first phase...

Gathering the Materials
Here's the picture of the Dream Dress, a pattern with the correct "bones", and my notes.


First step: layout and cut the pattern out of some spare fabric to make the fitting dress. I'm using an old sheet for this.

What can you use an old sheet for?
Poetically yours, Pamela

Art Pouches - Here is the first.


Hi Friends, I have been making a batch of Art Pouches: Cute little decorative pouches to carry the essentials. They're one of a kind, and each has a different theme. This is the first one finished of this batch. I am using about 90% upcycled materials, which is very exciting to me. I am finally using some items from my extensive stash of found and salvaged goodies. That feels great! There will be more to come.


Also coming up, I will be making a Wedding Dress soon, and will post all the steps along the way to the happy completion of this lovely medieval style dress. So... if you've ever wondered what goes into creating/sewing a cusomized garment, stay tuned.

Until next time... take a look at that special piece of fabric you're saving and just think, What Can It Become?

Poetically yours, Pamela